On a September evening at Croke Park, Katie Taylor closed the book exactly as she had written it — standing in the centre of the ring, arms raised, still the undisputed champion of the world.
A farewell in front of 82,000
Tens of thousands of Irish voices carried her to the ring for the final time. The stadium, one of the largest in Europe, had been a dream of Taylor’s since she first laced gloves, and few believed a female boxer could fill it. On Saturday, September 5, 2026, over 82,000 fans proved the doubters wrong.
The final ten rounds
Taylor composed herself quickly after the emotional ring walk, driving forward from the opening bell. By the second round the 40-year-old had found her tempo, landing shots of significance on the undefeated French challenger Flora Pili. The mid-rounds showcased a clear speed gap — Taylor was hard to touch and landing at will.
Pili, the reigning IBO champion and Taylor’s IBF mandatory, pushed the pace in the third and troubled the champion at times later in the fight. But she never landed the result-changing combination. The scorecards confirmed what the crowd had witnessed: 100-90, 100-90, and 98-91, a unanimous and lopsided decision.
Two divisions, three undisputed crowns
The victory reclaimed the WBC belt Taylor had given up after her trilogy with Amanda Serrano, reuniting it with the WBA, IBF and WBO titles. It made her a two-division, three-time undisputed world champion, adding the super-lightweight throne to the lightweight reign she had already cemented. Her ledger now reads 26 wins against a single loss, with the names Serrano, Cameron and now Pili on her résumé.
Before the fight, Taylor had already distilled the mood into a handful of words. “It’s not bittersweet for me,” she said, “it’s just sweet.”
A sport-changing career ended where it belonged — in Dublin, with every belt still in her keeping.
